Jarod Nandin, or better known as the infamous "South Park" cosplayer and NWBZPWNR by the "World of Warcraft" community, has passed away. It was confirmed to be because of the dreaded COVID-19.

Jarod Nandin Dead

Nandin first revealed to friends and family on Twitter that he was not feeling well and had fallen ill back on December 28, three days ahead of of the New Year. He got himself tested for COVID-19 and the results came out positive. 

Sadly, he passed away just a few days later, as reported by UNILAD. 

 

Who is Jarod Nandin?

Nandin became a household name among the community during BlizzCon 2013, when he cosplayed as the "World of Warcraft" gamer who became popular since "South Park" Season 10. The character was shown in the episode "Make Love Not Warcraft.

Arriving at BlizzCon in cosplay, Nandin quickly garnered attention. In no time, he was already being referenced as the "South Park Guy."  It was not that surprising. Nadind was committed to this character, even shaving his head to look like the character.

Nandin Cosplayer Dead 

Nandin did not have expectations about how people would react to his character during the cosplay. But what he got was more than what he bargained for.

In an interview with LA Weekly in 2014, Nandin said how people reacted to his cosplay was overwhelming. 

"I thought if I took that character and made him human, meaning if I portrayed him, it would just be hilarious,' he shared. 

Nandid also shared that his cosplaying of the South Park character did not only give him fame but also respect. He shared that he heard he had inspired people who were overweight and therefore, thought they could take part in cosplaying activities.

Jarod Nandin Memorial Fund

In a Go Fund Me Page organized by a friend Christopher Canizales, Nandin was described as being kind and yet, influential. "Today we lost a brother and to a mother, a son. A man who touched so, so many in the cosplay community by his contagious laugh and kindness. He was a proponent for body positivity, encouraging people to dress up as whatever character they wanted to," the introduction of the page reads. 

He described the fund as a way to help Nandin's mother deal with expenses.

"He was like a brother to me and I want to make sure his mom never, ever has to worry about any out of pocket expenses," Canizales wrote. 

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